Before I moved up to Johannesburg I’d eat bagels almost daily, loved the seeded ones and whole wheat ones. I basically loved them all!
Since moving up I’ve been to a lot of bakeries and not a bagel in sight! So I just make my own, problem solved!
Homemade bagels
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
2 and 3/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
4 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
1 Tablespoon packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
coating the bowl: nonstick spray or 1 tablespoon olive oil
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
For Boiling
1 litre water
1/4 cup honey
Method
1. Whisk the warm water and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look dry, this is perfectly normal.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes.
4. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, or a clean dish towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 90 minutes or until double in size.
5. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper paper.
6. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, using your fingers to make a hole about 3-4 cms. Cover the shaped bagels with a dish towel and rest for a few minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 218°C
8. For the water bath fill a large, wide pot with the wayer water. Whisk in the honey and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
9. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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